Here are some of Southwest Montana’s best day trips

We are coming up on the last weekend of July and the dog days have officially set in.  Are you looking for a quick getaway in the car to explore some of the wonders that Southwest Montana has to offer?  Here are a couple of trips that are less than a few hours away.

BANNACK STATE PARK

Photo: Tommy O/Townsquare Media

Just around 90 minutes away if you take the interstate to Dillon, Bannack State Park was Montana's first territorial capital and today is an incredibly well-preserved ghost town.  Some say ghosts still roam the area.  You'll be able to explore buildings, the jail and the very streets where outlaws, vigilantes and renegade lawmen once ruled the roost.  If you want a longer and more scenic drive, take the Forest Service Road 73 and go through Crystal Park.

OLD MONTANA PRISON

Photo: Tommy O/Townsquare Media

The Old Montana Prison in Deer Lodge was home of the state's most notorious criminals from 1871 until the 1970s.  Today, both guided and non-guided tours of the incredble old campus and also hosts numerous displays that can be enjoyed by the entire family.  While you're there, take a look at the Montana Auto Museum, a display on the Yellowstone Trail, the Powell County Museum and much more including  a well-stocked gift shop.

PHILIPSBURG, MT

Photo: Tommy O/Townsquare Media

The beautiful drive is fun in itself, traversing through some of Montana's most vibrant scenery, but everyone in the family will find something they enjoy in Philipsburg.  They have several wonderful restaurants, an incredible brewery, an ice cream store with some of the world's best milkshakes and a candy store that is hard to resist.